Hamilton lives in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Her gift will provide scholarship support for Winthrop students.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — The Winthrop experience became a family tradition for
Alison Jean Hamilton '92, '95, whose mother and two aunts earned degrees at the university. Through a
planned gift, Hamilton will honor her family's ties to the university and help students realize their dream of a Winthrop degree.
Hamilton established the Earl Haden Jr. and Brenda Jean Hewitt Hamilton Endowed Scholarship through a bequest from a percentage of her retirement accounts. The gift, named for
Hamilton's parents, will provide scholarship funds for Winthrop students.
The North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, resident said that she chose to make a planned
gift as a "thank you" to her alma mater for years of support.
"A planned gift is a great opportunity to give back and show appreciation to Winthrop
for the opportunities the university provided me," said Hamilton.
Hamilton earned her B.S. in business administration and her M.B.A. at Winthrop, following
in the footsteps of her mother and her aunts, Margaret Hewitt Black '71, '75 and Lucie
Lowry Hewitt '68. Brenda Hewitt Hamilton earned her B.A. in history in 1977. Hamilton's
cousin, Larry Baker, and her late grandmother, Frances Ford Hamilton, also attended
Winthrop.
She said strong family ties to the university convinced her to create her own Winthrop experience. Though she struggled at times, with support from the College of Business Administration — particularly Director of Graduate Studies Peggy Hager '82, assistant professor
of management — Hamilton persevered and earned two degrees at Winthrop. Along the
way, she kept her grandfather's advice in the back of her mind.
"My grandfather stressed how important education was. He told me, ˜Get all the education
you can because that is something no one can take away from you,'" said Hamilton. "Winthrop was really good to me, and the planned gift is a great opportunity to
give back."
For more information, contact Meredith Carter, communications coordinator, at 803/323-2236
or carterm@winthrop.edu.
